For those of you reading who aren’t in Ireland, but maybe want to bring a bit of Irish culture into your Christmas holidays, there are little things you can do to bring the green into your holiday season.
It requires being able to put aside your basic holiday music, recipes and traditions and trying to incorporate some that are straight from Ireland no matter where you are for this holiday season.
Christmas isn’t as festive without good music to bring out the spirit of the season. It helps to bring the right mood to a party or gathering as well. There are some great suggestions in Irish music that will make your home or office more green. The Irish Rovers are a group that have been around for decades and helped to popularize Irish music in many parts of the world that had before not been attuned to it. In addition to helping mainstream Irish music, they have quite a collection of Christmas songs. Some of these songs include, “Bells Over Belfast,” “Christmas in Killarney,” and “The Christmas Traveler.”
Below you will hear and see The Irish Rovers performing Must Be Santa. The music is noticeably festive and would be lively and entertaining at any Christmas function. It adds the right degree of Irish culture to the Christmas season.
Another thing one would not want to forget for the holidays would be food and bringing in specifically Irish delicacies to enhance any spread or feast. What would these items be, you may ask? Well, starting with appetizers and finger foods it is a nice touch to have finely selected Irish cheeses such as Wilma Killorglin Flavoured Cheese,(in Gouda,) Old Irish Creamery’s fresh selections of cheese or even try Emerald Irish Brie. These cheeses along with many others are made from dedicated Irish farmers who put a great amount of effort into their products.
Another staple to bring to the table is one of Ireland’s many spiced beef products. These can range from a spiced salmon, turkey, beef or even sausage and the ways in which you incorporate these foods into a meal vary greatly. These tasty meats can be used as toppings for crackers or a nice soda bread for light meals or party food, to the makings of a sandwich for light meals to even the main course at a sit down feast as on Christmas Day.
As long as we are bringing in the flavored meats, it is important to have the right accompaniments to them. This includes the right sauces, butters and drinks. For the perfectly themed Irish-style Christmas, it is important not to leave out things like our Irish whiskey sauces and glazes like this recipe here for a corned beef with carrots and whiskey glaze. Also, nothing says Irish holiday beverages quite as much as a warm cup of Irish Coffee. Here is an excellent recipe for fresh made Irish coffee to make for yourself and guests. Lastly, here is a great recipe and instructional of how to make great tasting Irish butter.
Following some of these simple and straightforward guides will encourage your holidays to be traced in all things Irish!
